Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-03-16
The COrOner's Fees.

To tic Editor Of the Dispatch:
The statements / furnished you of
the amounts paid the Coroner for the
last five years were those furnished ME
by the City auditor. The city fiscal
year begins and ends February lst and
contains only twelve months. 1t is
true, as must admit, that the pay OF
morgue servant is not coroner's fees,
but it is always found at the foot OF
the bills, and is so meagre, unlike
Falstafl's sac, being 81 per month, that
it was lost sight Of.
In the beginning, Mr.. Editor, there
was nothing further from my purpose
than to assail the amount of the Coro-
ner's fees. knew that they amounted
10 large sum, but | should have been
content to have had their payment
equally provided for 10y the city and
the State. When in my resolution |
referred to their being sometimes over
S200 a month | had reference to the
January bill, copy OF which give
you below. My attention has only been
called to these matters within the past
six or seven months, since have been
chairman of the Committee on Claims
in the Council, never having served on
the committee before, and this will ac-
count for my not knowing anything OF
bills which Dr. Taylor says in 1881
and 1884 amounted to $40 and $50 q
month. | had had no such experience.
The law fixing the Coroners fees for
this city may be found in City Ordi-
nances, chapter IS, which, after pre-
scribing So as the fee for examining a
dead body where no inquest is held,
says:
"And whenever the Coroner shall
deem q pOst-mOrtcm examination nc
cessdry, and the same is made, he shall
be allowed the sum of S2j for such
post-mOrtem examination"
The way the items come TO be $50 is
by virtue of the State statute, Acts
1874-'75, page 43G, prescribing that ga
coroner shall have for taking an inquest
on dead body 80, except where the
coroner is physician and actually
makes an examination of the dead
body"-this being an amendment OF
the Code reducing the fee from s. in
all cases.
This statement of the law Will ex-
plain all l meant by saying the bills
were certified by the Hastings Court to
the city for payment without there be-
ing in the Hastings Court representa-
ton on the part of the city. / never
intended TO intimate for a moment that
there could have been or that there had
been any preferring or false charges
against the city by the highly honor
able gentleman who now occupies the
position Of Coroner OF the city. re-
gret that my language was capable Of
that construction. Hgives me pleasure
to announce that l consider DIR. Taylor
wholly incapable OF anything of the
sort. This is what / had in mind: If
DIR. Taylor had 10 come each month
before my committee TO prove his
bills / think would have heard long
before this more than one wide-awake
member OF that committee say Look
here, Doctor, we don't doubt that You
have rendered these services but what
is the necessity OF these post-p,ortem
examinations OF unknown infants 2"
And pursuit OF inquiry on that line
would have produced the--to me,
astonishing result that for the last
four years these costly performances
have not led to q single conviction OF q
criminal. Judge Atkins has been ON